AN ECONOMIC AGENDA FOR THE NEXT PRESIDENT

American Federalism Today: Perspectives on Political and Economic Governance
Michael J. Boskin, 

CITY JOURNAL

Nullification and Ultimate Authority
​One need not endorse nullification to recognize a serious problem with relying only on the federal government to protect the reserved authority of states.
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Constitutional Tensions
Burke, a Man For All Seasons

How Congress Lost, Part II: The Constitutional Presidency

How Congress Lost, Part III: Hamiltonian Energy and the Washington Administration

How Congress Lost, Part IV: Washington, Foreign Policy, and the Emergence of Presidential Governance

• The political battles over public credit in 1790–92 demonstrated the potential for strong presidential leadership over domestic affairs. The foreign policy crises of 1793–96 likewise strengthened presidential leadership.
• When Britain and France went to war in 1793, Americans disagreed about how the United States should maintain neutrality. The pro-British faction ultimately triumphed because of institutional advantages inherent to the executive branch.
• Partial to Alexander Hamilton’s pro-British sensibilities, George Washington used the executive branch’s unitary power to set the political agenda in ways that empowered Hamilton.
• James Madison and his allies in the House failed to stop these initiatives, indicating that by 1796, the executive branch was the most dominant one.

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How Congress Lost, Part V: Politics and Presidential Power ...